


Good Things Come In Small Packages.

by Saltandburnboys



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Low Self-esteem!Jensen, M/M, Self-Lubrication, bottom!Jensen, dragon!Jensen, hurt!Jensen, protective!Jared, tiny!Jensen, top!Jared
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:20:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23647591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saltandburnboys/pseuds/Saltandburnboys
Summary: Written for this amazing Spn-Masquerade prompt:Tiny dragon Jensen wants to be huge and scary. But he's really not. To show the other dragons how badass he is, he breaks into Jared's house to steal the biggest gold vase. It doesn't work. The vase is too huge. Jared finds him and is smitten by Jensen's tiny fire growl/sneeze.
Relationships: Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki
Comments: 9
Kudos: 266





	Good Things Come In Small Packages.

**Good Things Come In Small Packages.**

Jared's eyes snap open at the crash, and he rolls out of bed to grab his baseball bat from the closet before making his way downstairs towards it. He creeps slowly through the dark house, one soft step after another, until he makes it to the living room where he's pretty sure the sound came from. And sure enough, when he enters the room and switches on the light, he sees what made the noise. 

The fireplace is a mess, soot and ash everywhere, and Jared frowns as he looks around the room to see what could've caused it. But there's nothing. No bird that's accidentally fallen down it...no twigs, no dislodged bricks, nothing. 

He's about to go back to bed and leave the clean up for the morning when he hears a sneeze. He instantly freezes and raises the bat. 'Come out right now and maybe I won't use this on you.'

No response.

Jared's gaze scans the room, searching for the intruder's hiding place, but he doesn't find anyone. 

_Achoo._

Jared's head whips round towards the sound, and he stares in disbelief at the vase he bought at an auction out of town last year. He's pretty sure it just _sneezed_. His vase. He reaches down to pinch himself, just to make sure he's not dreaming, and when he doesn't wake up, he slowly walks closer. 

He's not quite sure what he expects to see when he peers into the dark opening of the vase, but it's certainly not two eyes staring up at him. He can't help the yell that slips past his lips as he stumbles backwards. 

_What. The. Actual. Fuck???_

Torn between wanting to toss the vase out the nearest window and wanting to get a closer look, curiosity wins out, and he slowly approaches the vase again. His heart is racing as he peers inside, and his skin prickles when he meets those bright green eyes once more. This time, though, he doesn't look away, and his gaze takes in more of the creature: its dark green scales; its delicate, paper-thin wings; its small snout. Now that he's not about to pee his pants in terror, Jared can see that it's actually pretty adorable. 

'Hey there, little guy,' he says gently. 'What are you doing in there?'

The creature doesn't answer him, since obviously dragons can't talk, but a puff of smoke does leave its nostrils as it gives an adorable little growl that's probably supposed to be menacing, but actually just makes Jared want to scoop the little guy up and give him a cuddle. 

It's a real struggle to keep the fond smile off his lips - he's not sure his tiny, and clearly very grumpy, friend would appreciate his humour right now - but somehow he manages it as he asks, 'Did you get stuck?' That's gotta be the reason it's still in there, instead of flying out at the first sign of Jared's approach. There must not be enough room inside the vase for it to be able to unfurl its wings and escape. 

'Don't worry, I've got you.' He's just reaching his hand inside when the little guy gives another warning growl, and Jared quickly pulls his hand back. 'Hey now, none of that. I'm trying to help you.' But the dragon doesn't seem too reassured by his words 'cause more smoke starts emanating from its snout and its eyes have started to glow. Jared's seen enough movies to know what's coming next and he instantly backs away. He likes his eyebrows unsinged, thank you very much. 

He waits for the fire he expects to erupt from the vase...and waits, and waits. 

_Achoo._

No fire. Just another tiny, somehow disgruntled-sounding sneeze. He cautiously approaches the vase again and peeks back inside. The dragon looks even more grumpy than before, and its eyes narrow when it sees Jared. 'Hey, it's not my fault,' he says, holding up his hands. 'How about you just let me help you, okay?'

When the dragon doesn't appear like it's going to try and scorch him again, he reaches his hand inside and pulls it out. He carefully places it on his palm and examines it again in the bright light of the room. No wonder the little guy kept sneezing, he's literally _covered_ in soot from his fall down the chimney, so Jared grabs a couple of tissues and starts to wipe the creature's face. 

Once its face is mostly clean, Jared realises that he was wrong before, thinking its scales were dark green. They're actually a multitude of shimmering colours, that are currently obscured by the thick layer of soot covering its body. 'I think you need a bath, dude,' he announces, pocketing the dirty tissues and making his way towards the kitchen.

Unfortunately, the dragon doesn't seem to like this plan very much and immediately springs off his palm. 'Hey!' Jared shouts as the creature launches itself into the air and begins to fly back to the living room. It doesn't get more than a few flaps in though before its wings give out and send it plummeting towards the floor. Jared dashes forward and only just manages to catch it before it hits the hard wood. 

The creature's panting frantically in his hands, and Jared doesn't have the heart to scold it for its failed escape attempt. 'I'm not gonna hurt you, alright? I just wanna get this crap off you.' This time, the dragon doesn't try to get away. Simply sits in Jared's hands, small chest heaving like it's just flown 10,000 miles.

When they eventually reach the kitchen, Jared puts the plug in the sink and turns on the taps, both hot and cold, and waits for it to fill up. Once it's full, he drops his free hand into the water to test the temperature, then places the dragon in it. 'That feel okay?' he asks as he watches the creature swim around in the basin, relaxing more and more with each lap of its makeshift bath. 

The dragon dips its tiny head and gives a contented little chirrup that Jared takes as a yes, so he picks up the soap and gets to work washing the rest of the soot off the creature's body. 

It really is beautiful, like a precious jewel caught in the setting sun, and he can't help but marvel at all the colours that are revealed with each swipe off his hand. 

It doesn't take long to clean the creature, but by the end of its bath, it seems like its fear has fled completely, if the way it's nuzzling into Jared's touch is anything to go by. Smiling, Jared lifts the dragon out of the rapidly cooling water, ignoring its mewl of discontent at being removed from its bath, and grabs a dish cloth so he can towel it dry.

Once Jared tosses the cloth back on the counter, the dragon gives a little yawn before settling on his palm and closing its eyes. 'Bed then?' Jared says, huffing out a laugh as he makes his way out the kitchen and up the stairs to his bedroom. 

'Sorry, I only have one bed, but it's huge so I don't think it's going to be a problem,' he says, placing the dragon on the pillow he's not using. 'But I can put the pillow on the floor if you like.' 

When the dragon's only response is to curl up, Jared assumes it's happy with the sleeping arrangements and climbs into bed himself. He's just closed his eyes when he feels sharp pinpricks on his chest, and he opens them again just in time to see the dragon circling his chest before curling up again. 'Alright then,' Jared says with a chuckle, before reaching out to stroke down the creature's back. 'Sleep well, sweetheart.'

Jared's last thought before he drifts off to sleep is that the tiny creature currently snoring adorably on his chest is, without a doubt, the cutest little burglar _ever_.

******

Jared wakes with a jolt for the second time that night when a heavy weight thumps down on his chest. Opening his eyes, he's more than a little surprised to see a guy lying on top of him, fast asleep and letting out the most adorable little snores, just like...

'No fucking way,' he breathes, peering down at the man. 

_The very attractive man_ , his mind adds unhelpfully. _The very_ naked _man_. All information he really doesn't need to be thinking about right now.

So instead, he focuses on waking the guy who he's pretty sure was a tiny dragon when they both went to sleep. 'Hey, wake up,' he says softly, stroking a thumb across the guy's freckled cheekbone.

The man's eyes open slowly, and Jared has just enough time to notice that they're the same green as the dragon's, if not quite as bright in this form, before the guy is scrambling off him and over to the other side of Jared's very large bed. He has the bedsheets clutched to his bare chest, and is drawing in panicked, erratic breaths as he stares at Jared in what can only be described as utter terror.

'It's okay,' Jared says gently, 'I'm still not gonna hurt you. You trusted me enough to go to sleep here, right? Nothing's changed.'

'Except now you know I'm even more of a freak than you realised.' The guy's voice is deep and smooth, and Jared has to repress a shudder. He forces himself to focus on the undercurrent of fear he can hear in the man's bitter words, and tells his libido to pipe the fuck down.

'You're not a freak,' Jared says, shaking his head. 'And even if you were, you'd still have nothing to fear from me. Do you want some clothes?'

The guy still looks suspicious but he nods warily, so Jared climbs out of bed and heads over to his dresser to grab a pair of boxers, some sweats, and a t-shirt for him. He tosses them towards his companion, then turns away to give him some privacy to get dressed. 'So...' he starts, mostly as a way to break the tension building in the silence of the room, 'what's your name?'

The guy's quiet long enough that Jared doesn't think he's going to answer, then he hears a short, almost grudging, 'Jensen.'

It's an unusual name, unique, which feels sort of fitting since Jensen is clearly a very unusual and unique kind of person. 'Hi, Jensen, I'm Jared. Nice to meet you.' He flounders for a moment on what to say next, desperate to keep the conversation going now he's gotten it started, and blurts out the first thought that comes to his mind. 'How old are you anyway? I kind of assumed you were a kid.'

'Why?' Jensen hisses, and Jared winces at the anger in his tone. Shit. 'Because I'm so small? Not everyone grows at the same rate, Jared. I...I could have a growth spurt any day now. It happens...you don't know.'

Jared would have to be an idiot not to realise Jensen isn't just angry, he's hurt, and he quickly turns back to the man and apologises, 'Look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I wasn't judging you, I swear. Besides, small doesn't mean _bad_.'

He watches Jensen's shoulders slump, the anger flying from him like it has wings of its own, leaving only the hurt behind. 'Try telling that to my friends and family,' he replies, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. Sensing he's about to learn more about his new friend, Jared doesn't hesitate to walk over and sit beside him. 'They're all ashamed of me. Think I'm weak. Defective. It's why I'm here. The guys at my frat house told me if I wanted to stay a member, I had to come here in my dragon form, steal something, and bring it back to them.'

'The vase.'

Jensen nods. 'I knew it had to be something big and expensive-looking, or they wouldn't accept it. But it turns out it was too big for me to carry and I kind of...' his cheeks heat up in an adorable flush which only serves to make him even more beautiful in Jared's opinion, 'passed out trying to lift it, and fell into the vase. Then I couldn't get out. And, well, you know the rest.'

He sounds so goddamn defeated that Jared can't resist scooting closer and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. Jensen hesitates for only a moment before leaning into the embrace. 'That really sucks man, I'm sorry. And they sound like really shitty friends.'

Jensen shrugs against him as he replies, 'Can't really blame them. I _am_ a freak. I know what I said, but who am I kidding? I'm 22 years old; I'm not doing any more growing. This is it. This is me.'

Jared's heart clenches at the profound misery in Jensen's voice. 'And there's nothing wrong with that,' he says vehemently, meaning every damn word. He's got half a mind to march over to that frat house and give those assholes a piece of his mind. 

Jensen lets out a bitter snort and shakes his head. 'I think just about everyone on the planet might disagree with you there, Jared. No dragon's ever gonna want me knowing my crappy genes are gonna be passed onto our kids. And I can't exactly date a human when I can't even control when I shift, so eventually they'll find out what I am and leave me. I don't fit anywhere. I'm not _welcome_ anywhere.'

'Then stay here.' The words are out of Jared's mouth before he even means to say them. Jensen's head whips round to look at him, his eyebrows shooting up towards his hairline. 'I mean it,' he says, giving Jensen's shoulders a comforting squeeze. 'If your friends and family treat you like shit, you don't have to go back there. I've got plenty of room here.'

'Are you serious??? I'm a _dragon_ , Jared,' Jensen replies incredulously. 

Jared gives a shrug of his own. 'As long as you don't try to burn the house down that doesn't matter to me.'

'Doesn't _matter???_ ' 

'Why would it?'

They stare at each other for the longest time: Jensen's gaze narrowed and calculating, looking for the trick, the lie, the shoe that he thinks is about to drop and crush him; Jared's gaze as open and sincere as he can make it, begging Jensen to trust him. After what feels like an eternity, Jensen finally relaxes against him and murmurs, 'I'd...I'd really like that.'

'Me too,' Jared says, smiling down at his new roommate. 'Let's go back to bed. We can sort all this out in the morning, then you and I can go down to your dorm and pick up your stuff.' 

_And while we're at it, I can kick some asses, dragons or no dragons_ , he adds silently in his head as they both climb back under the covers. 

Jensen surprises Jared for what feels like the hundredth time that night by settling against his side, hesitant at first, but when Jared doesn't push him away, he nestles even closer. 'Thanks, Jared,' he says quietly before closing his eyes.

'You're welcome, Jensen,' Jared replies, and because it feels right, he leans down to press a kiss to the top of Jensen's head, then shuts his own eyes. 

******

**Six months later.**

Jared's barely through the front door before he's got an armful of excited boyfriend. He smiles against Jensen's lips and reaches down to cradle Jensen's tight little ass in his hands. 

'Welcome home,' Jensen says happily as he pulls back from the kiss. 'I missed you.'

'Really? I never would've guessed,' Jared teases, giving Jensen's ass a gentle squeeze. Jensen just rolls his eyes and kisses him again. 

When Jensen's finally done welcoming him home, he unwinds his legs from Jared's hips and hops down. 'I've got something to show you,' he announces, and in the blink of an eye, there's a tiny dragon in front of Jared, burrowing its way out of the puddle of Jensen's clothes. And in another blink, his boyfriend's back, now naked and grinning triumphantly up at him. 'Ta-da.'

'That's incredible, babe,' Jared says, pulling Jensen close again. 'I'm really proud of you.' Now that's Jensen's away from his parents' and friends' constant judgement, away from that crushing weight on his shoulders, he's really started to blossom. And it's not just the shifting either. He can finally breathe fire whenever he wants, and now he's no longer so ashamed to be in his dragon form, he and Jared have been able to work on building up his stamina so he can fly for hours instead of minutes. 

The only thing that hasn't changed is his stature. He's still the same tiny size he was when he tumbled down Jared's chimney all those months ago, but that's okay too, 'cause Jared doesn't let a single day go by without making sure Jensen knows how beautiful he is. How perfect. And little by little, he can tell Jensen's starting to believe it. 

'Wanna celebrate?' Jensen asks, waggling his eyebrows at Jared suggestively. No-one should look _that_ hot when being _that_ dorky. And yet, here Jared is popping wood over it...because Jensen defies all logic and somehow manages to make everything sexy. Without even goddamn trying most of the time.

'Definitely,' he replies, even though he's pretty sure Jensen's question was rhetorical. Jared would 'celebrate' the mail being delivered if it meant getting to fuck Jensen through the mattress. 

Jensen's grin turns even more mischievous then. 'Well, you're going to have to catch me first.' And suddenly, he's shifting again and flying off up the stairs. 

With a laugh and a shake of his head, Jared takes the stairs three at a time as he follows his tiny boyfriend up to their bedroom. He makes it up there just in time to see Jensen send a cheeky puff of smoke in his direction before disappearing through the wedged-open door. (Another addition to Jared's decor since Jensen moved in: a lot of doorstops, so dragon Jensen would never get trapped in a room, unable to shift into his human form and turn the door knob...again.)

Slipping through the door himself, he scans the room for his boyfriend, before jumping slightly when he feels tiny claws land on his shoulder. And a tiny snout nuzzle at his ear. 'I'm not sure you quite understand the rules of this game, babe,' he says, reaching up to lift Jensen off his shoulder. 

His biceps flex to adjust to the added weight when Jensen shifts in his arms and tells him, 'You were taking too long.'

'Uh huh,' Jared says fondly as he leans down to kiss the pout off Jensen's lips. Jensen's hands instantly come up to tangle in Jared's hair as they fall onto the mattress together.

'Off,' Jensen demands between kisses. 'Clothes off.' 

He doesn't seem particularly inclined to allow Jared to stop kissing him long enough to actually _get_ his clothes off though, so Jared has to blindly fumble with his pants till he finally manages to slide them, and his boxers, down his legs. 

Once they hit the floor, he doesn't waste any time before sliding his fingers down the crease of Jensen's ass. Unsurprisingly, Jensen's leaking slick everywhere, and Jared's finger slides into his ass with no resistance whatsoever.

Jensen moans obscenely into Jared's mouth, and Jared quickly adds a second finger, scissoring them apart, even though Jensen doesn't really need it. His body's already made him open and ready for Jared, his mate, but Jared isn't about to risk hurting him. And a part of him likes this bit too: opening Jensen up, teasing him, pushing him right to the edge before slamming into him. 

Jensen's squirming and writhing against the sheets by the time Jared slides a third finger into him, and his voice is rough with want when he breaks their kiss to breathe 'Please' against Jared's lips.

Well, Jared's only human, even if his boyfriend is decidedly not, and there's only so much teasing he can take himself, so he drags his fingers out of his boyfriend's slick, open ass and uses the residual slick covering them to coat his cock. With his other hand, he carefully cups Jensen's face. 'I love you,' he says, gaze locked with Jensen's, as he pushes inside. 

Jensen's eyes flare brightly for a moment, a hint of the creature, the fire, within him, and his kiss-swollen lips drop open on a pant. 'I...I love you too.' His words trail off into a moan as Jared slots inside, hips coming flush with Jensen's ass. 

Leaning down, Jared presses kisses to the side of Jensen's throat, the line of his jaw, the curve of his flushed cheekbone, while he waits for his boyfriend to adjust to him. 

'I'm ready, Jay,' Jensen whispers after a few moments. His legs come up to wrap around Jared's hips, ankles locking together at the small of Jared's back to urge him on. 

Not that Jared really needs the encouragement. He pulls out slowly before immediately slamming back inside, the way he knows Jensen's likes. Sure enough, Jensen cries out in pleasure; a cry that Jared swallows up as he captures Jensen's lips in another kiss. 

They're moving together now, Jensen pushing back into Jared's hard thrusts, Jared making sure to pound into that sparking place inside his boyfriend that has him clawing at Jared's back, begging for release. 

'I've got you, baby. I've got you,' Jared promises in a hushed, reverent voice, as he reaches between them and grips Jensen's cock. He's barely even gotten his fingers around it before Jensen's shooting between them, and Jared's not sure whether it was his touch or his words that set his boyfriend off, and it doesn't matter since Jensen will always have both: will always have Jared's mind, body, and soul. 

So instead of wondering about that, he focuses on Jensen's blissed out face. On the dark sweep of his lashes; on the flush riding his delicate cheekbones; on the pink swell of his plush lips. Then Jensen opens his eyes and smiles up at Jared, and it feels like all the air has been sucked out of the room. There's so much happiness in that smile, so much love and devotion, that Jared feels winded by it. He did that. He banished the shadows from Jensen's eyes and filled them with joy instead, like they always should've been, and that thought's enough to push Jared over the edge with him.

Spent, Jared carefully pulls out of his boyfriend and slumps down next to him. He wrinkles his nose at his now come-covered shirt, then uses the last shreds of energy he has to slide it off and onto the floor. 'Well, maybe I should go away more often if that's the welcome I get when I come back.'

Jensen's on him the second he lies back down, snugged up against his side, chin resting on his shoulder, eyes looking mournfully up at him. 'No! Not more trips. Please...'

Jensen looks so distressed by the idea that Jared can't resist wrapping his arms around him. 'I was only kidding, babe, I'm sorry. Bad joke.'

He knows Jensen misses him terribly when he travels for work - something to do with the intense bond between dragons and their mates - so he tries to keep it to an absolute minimum these days. If he's honest, it's not just Jensen that hates it when he travels, that misses his boyfriend like a lost limb from the second he leaves till the moment he gets back, and he's wondered more than once whether the bond affects the human in the relationship as well as the dragon. 

Settling Jensen more firmly against his side, he trails his fingers idly up and down Jensen's spine as he says, 'I've actually been meaning to talk to you about that.' He hadn't been planning to do it right after they had sex, but this seems as good a time as any. 'I was wondering if maybe you wanted to come with me next time? Chad's been-'

'Really?? You mean it??' Jensen interrupts, cutting him off in his eagerness.

Jared chuckles and playfully slaps Jensen's bare ass. 'Yep. If you want to. You always said you wanted to see more of the world?'

'I don't care where we go, as long as I'm with you.' From anyone else that would've sounded corny as fuck - like a line - but there's so much sincerity in Jensen's voice, he knows his boyfriend meant every word, and it just makes Jared love him all the more.

'Awesome,' Jared replies, and if he sounds a little choked up...well, Jensen's too busy yawning (adorably) to notice. 'How about we get some sleep and we can talk more about it in the morning?'

Jensen doesn't answer, just snuggles closer to Jared, and closes his eyes. Jared quickly reaches down to grab the blanket to cover them with, even though they don't really need it, not when Jensen's a little space heater all on his own, but he knows Jensen likes it. Likes being cocooned with Jared in their makeshift nest. So Jared always makes sure there's a blanket close by their bed, or their couch, or their porch swing to wrap around them.

'Sleep well, baby,' he says, dropping a soft kiss on his already-snoring boyfriend's head before letting sleep pull him under as well. 

THE END. 

Thanks for reading, guys, and thanks, OP, for the utterly adorable prompt. I hope you liked what I came up. <333


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